Tracks up to four lanes registering the times via the microcontroller chip. The times are tracked within one thousandths of a second and displayed on the computers monitor. Many computers can display their images on an auxiliary TV screen or overhead Projector.
The program will assign each racer to the maximum number of lanes available if possible, thus helping to eliminate any lane handicaps (depending on race mode selected). It also will try and have at least three racers per heat if possible. (ex. if there are 10 racers, instead of 3 heats of 4, 4 and 2 it will create 3 heats of 4, 3 and 3).
The program offers any number of divisions (classes) to be created which of one is then assigned to each participant. The Racing Roster is thus created by selecting one of these classes or you can select 'All Classes'.
Program offers many reports generated from the on going race events showing Best Times, Average Times, Cumulative Times, Cumulative Points, Global Rating, Finish Positions and more. Any of these can be printed.
A major factor is that this hardware is connected to the computer via the common USB port, not a serial or parallel port. A software driver is supplied which will determine and configure a Com port to use.
The program tracks all aspects of the race for each participant which can be viewed within their profile. A total of 96 racers can participate per race event and if more than that are needed, there is a work around for that too. The program shows the current racers of each heat by name and car number. It also generates a complete flowchart displaying the entire round by full name, race car number, races ran, whose on deck and lane selection by color. All Flowcharts can be printed.
The program contains three modes. The Race mode, a Practice mode (which requires the tower and hardware but doesn't require a Schedule) and a Test mode -used for 'program training' (requires a schedule but doesn't require any hardware hook-up). Note: 1, 2, 3 or 4 lanes can be selected in Practice Mode)
On Race Day, all participants can be flagged as 'non-active' and then made 'active' during the registration process, thus verifying that all contestants are accounted for. Only those 'active' will be considered for the Race Schedule.
A LED tells you the status of the Starting Gate before 'resetting' the timers (the software also has a Safe-Guard built into it to prevent this from happening).
The program has been tested successfully using Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. A major advantage is that the Interfacing uses the USB port of your computer in a Windows environment, not DOS.
The program offers an option for 'real-time' testing of the track sensors thus verifying they are online and working properly.
The program has the ability to Re-run a heat (undo) if the results were not desirable.
An important feature is that the program has the ability to reload the last event if the program was interrupted due to a catastrophic power failure, computer crash, etc. No racing events will be lost up to that point!
The race Tower contains four Lane Indicator LED's which tells the gate operator if a lane should be occupied or not. The Tower also has two Status Lights that keep you informed as to the real-time status of the 'hardware and software' at any given time.
You have the ability to use two (2), three (3) or four (4) lanes. Even if you physically have four lanes, you can chose to use 2 or 3 lanes. Special effort has gone into the programming for racing on a 'Two Lane' track in the 'double-elimination' mode which always consists of an ODD number player.
The program offers three exciting 'Racing Mode Formats' , Double-Elimination, Progressive and Round-Robin. With these formats (schedules), all participants are guaranteed to compete in several heats making it an exciting event for everybody (described in more detail in the softwares 'help' file).
If lane color orientation is a concern, the program offers the ability to change the screens lane color position to match your track (red, blue, green, yellow or gray).
To compensate for a car going off the track, the timers limits can be adjusted between 1 to 9 seconds (9 being the default) or you have the ability to 're-run' a heat if the results were not desired.
In the event of duplicated car numbers between members, the program will assign a letter after the duplicated car number letting the car racer retain their original number (ex. 77; 77A; 77B).
In the event of a tie (depending on the racing method selected), the program will carry both participants forward. This can be over-turned by using the re-run (undo) option.
All hardware runs on the power supplied by the USB port (your laptop may require a higher rated power supply, obtainable by many third party vendors).
The program itself goes into much more detailedinformation in the 'help' menu.
This software is highly sophisticated and works hand-in-hand with the designed hardware. Some of the program features are:
